Test subject
That's me. I haven't used an electrolyte drink on the bike in years. I've found that I prefer water in my water bottles. When I am racing I supplement my water with Elete for electrolytes, and use mocha flavored EFS liquid shot for nutrition. That's it. No matter if the race is 1 hour or 12 hours. For what it's worth I've had decent results with that formula.In the past I've used CarboRocket, CarboRocket 333, CitoMax, Heed, and EFS drink.
Test environment
That's today's training ride. I did Anaerobic Endurance Hill Intervals which means I pounded myself to my maximum up steep short hills 3 minutes at a time with 4 minutes of rest in between. The ride took about 50 minutes. Proof is on Strava.
The Product
EFS Pro cucumber. 3 scoops in a 20 oz water bottle.
First taste
I took a taste in the kitchen before the ride and thought "Um, I don't know if I can finish this bottle. I better take a water bottle with this for my ride in case I can't do it." It wasn't a bad taste, just unusual. At this point I thought the product was named "cucumber water" and I agreed it was a more subtle taste than other sports drinks I've consumed.
During the ride
I admit I had to force myself to drink the next few swigs, but luckily I was pummeling myself so I wanted hydration and chose to use the EFS Pro. After about 1/2 the bottle I started getting used to it and didn't mind it much anymore. I liked the fact that it drank easily and wasn't sweet. I did notice a bit of a syrup-like feel in my mouth after a few minutes, but much less than what I remember with previous sports drinks. I only ended up drinking from my water bottle (the non-EFS bottle) twice during the ride and just about finished my EFS Pro bottle.
Summary
I suspect people that are used to drinking sports drinks will enjoy this more subtle formula. Personally I may try to add some EFS Pro bottles in rotation, maybe one in four bottles, during long endurance events to benefit from the excellent nutrition provided and add some variety to my nutrition strategy.
